Bonded For Life
by DoubleCresentMoon
Summary: Upon becoming an official team, new ninja are presented with a Digimon partner. Each is Chosen based on the traits of the ninja, and what they want to be.
1. Becoming A Ninja

This story was inspired by Mhyrloc's story **Naruto and Pokemon: Power of Partnership**. For those who have not read it, I'd suggest it; it has a good concept and plot. For those who have read that one already, sorry if a lot of things seem similar at the beginning; I'm using his story as a base skeleton for mine for certain parts, where as others are completely my own idea. Mhyrloc, if you're reading this, you have every right to critisize me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Digimon in any way. If I did, I'd be rich. Also, when it comes to Digimon, I normally use strict Japanese terms, however there are sometimes where I will use the Non-Japanese, i.e. Calling a female Piccolomon Piximon, as it would seem more fitting for the gender.

Warning: Naruto will be somewhat OOC in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter One - Becoming a Ninja

* * *

Once more the sun rose, and once more a blond boy silence his alarm before it finished its first set of beeps. Bleary eyes gazed upon the ceiling, the exhaustion from the previous night slowly fading. Despite trying to sleep early on the eve of what he considered the most important day of his life, the rhythmic pounding of rain caused by an unexpected storm against his window had kept him away from slumber until past midnight.

Lethargically, he prepared himself. A quick shower, cold so he could wake himself faster; a painful three minutes for his breakfast to cook itself; and grabbing his jacket, colored orange to match the exercise pants he wore, as he stepped out to head to his Academy for what could be the last time in his life.

Twice he had failed to graduate; the first time was due to poor academic scores, and the previous was due to one of the rare times he had fallen ill. Now, it was his last chance. He had started earlier than most, at five instead of seven or eight. Now, at age twelve, his last chance stood before him; a minimum of five years at the Academy and a maximum of eight was his home Village's policy on becoming a ninja.

Praying to whatever Gods existed, he hoped that the Jutsu test wouldn't be on the Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), as it was his worst of the Basic Three; his Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique) was decent enough, and his Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) was better than anyone else in the last three graduating classes. But no matter what, he has never been successful in creating a single copy of himself without it looking like it was dying of some horrible disease. Unfortunately, while there was only a one-in-three chance of it being picked for his test, he learned long ago to expect the worst and hope for the best.

Faster than he expected, but slower than his usual pace, Naruto Uzumaki, the most hated person in the village of Konoha, arrived at the first training grounds any ninja of his home passed through. Despite arriving earlier than usual, he was the last member of his class to arrive. With semi-confidence, he went to the final row of raised platforms to sit at his assigned seat. From his vantage point, he could see everyone passing the time in their own way as they awaited their Sensei's arrival.

Akimichi Chouji was eating a large breakfast bento, larger than what he considered normal; most likely, it was a good luck gift from his family in the form of something comforting to the larger-than-life Clan. Next to the heavyset boy was his close friend, Nara Shikamaru, who was napping away as usual; more than likely he believed that today would be more 'troublesome' compared to others, and would rather just sleep through it like most of his own Clan would.

Inuzuka Kiba, who was almost as bad as Naruto was when it came to Academics, was chattering away with some random other student, one whose name Naruto couldn't really remember; at least, not until a few small black dots randomly moved across his skin before disappearing once more into the large, grey coat he wore. Aburame Shino was just sitting there, listening to Kiba rant; however, Naruto wasn't sure if he was really awake or not, due to the sunglasses and high collar his Clan was known for hiding his feature.

Hyuuga Hinata was simply studying her notes, preparing herself for the upcoming exams. Naruto didn't know much about her, other than the fact that she came from a high ranking Clan in both the ninja and civilian worlds of Konoha. The few times they were made to work together, she either didn't talk, or stammered a lot, and would even sometimes faint; due to that, Naruto had a small belief that she was slightly scared of him for some reason.

A few feet away from him, Naruto could hear two girls bickering; one was the blond Yamanaka Ino, and the other was the pink haired crush of his, Haruno Sakura. As per usual, the argument between the two former best friends was about the person Naruto considered his biggest rival: Uchiha Sasuke. Who was just sitting there and staring/glaring at the front of the room, ignoring everything around him.

As for the remaining people in the room, who were the children of civilians instead of ninja clans... well Naruto didn't really care for them; especially since he constantly heard their parents tell them to avoid him as much as possible.

Soon, however, the sliding doors opened and the two Chunin teachers walked in. Mizuki, a white haired man who believed in the merits of personal strength and constantly preached about it, sat in a chair near the chalkboard; a round, orange furred creature with a long black horn bounced into his lap, from which its red eyes stared out to the students. Umino Iruka stood in the center of the floor, as well as the middle of a slightly worn area that his pacing had caused throughout the year; while strict, Iruka still wanted all his students to excel at everything they do, and would be willing to help out anyone if they had a problem. Bouncing around his feet was an exact copy of the creature sitting in Mizuki's lap, albeit a lighter shade of orange.

Both teachers waited a few minutes, expecting the noise levels to drop; however, most of the students still weren't paying attention. With a nod to their partners, both Tsunomon were shrouded in a pillar of light, which faded quickly. Standing in their place was small, mammal-like Digimon with nine feather-like tails. Iruka's was colored red with blue markings, while Mizuki's was colored purple with yellow markings. The students that had been paying attention quickly plugged their ears and hid beneath their desks.

With a cry of "**Sparkling Thunder**" coming from Elecmon and "**Jamming Thunder**" from ViElecmon, bolts of electricity shot from the Digmon's tail's, colliding in midair, and sent a bigger shock to those still above their desks, with a loud popping sound following short after.

"You'd think they'd learn by now." ViElecmon chuckled.

"Now that we have your attention..." Iruka cleared his throat. "As you all know, today is the graduation exam. You will be tested on all of the knowledge and skills you've gained in these past few years, and if you score well enough, you will be assigned to a team. For those who do not, however, you will be permitted to try again next year, after an additional year of tutelage of course." A chorus of groans escaped the throats of those on the lower end of the grade scale. "However, those that don't take their studies seriously will not be allowed to remain here forever. Our council decrees that you are only allowed three attempts at the final exam; I expect everyone to do their best in the future, regardless if it's back here or in your own Gennin teams."

Of course, a dense civilian kid had to bring up the one question Naruto dreaded the answer to. "What happens if we fail three times?" Sadly, this boy was barely above the Uzumaki in terms of scores, and would've been the 'dead-last' if Naruto hadn't been so bad with clones.

Iruka sighed, knowing this was a touchy subject for some of those present. "If a student fails the graduation exam three times, it is assumed that any further training is unlikely to improve them; in that circumstance, the person is removed from the Ninja Academy, and in some cases has a seal applied." Iruka noted that both Naruto and Hinata paled at his answer. He decided not to go into further details, as it could possibly lead to traumatizing several more of them. "Now, if there are no more questions, we will begin the exams..."

* * *

The next few hours were spent on exhaustive testing. The first part was a written exam, testing theoretical knowledge and basic understandings of common ninja concepts, as well as a few history questions about the village and Digimon. After that was the Taijutsu test, consisting of sparring against the teachers to gauge their strength and techniques; accuracy tests with kunai, shuriken, and for a select few, senbon, followed soon after that. Finally, after being outside for a good couple hours, the students were allowed to go back to the classroom for the final part of the exam: Ninjutsu.

Mizuki held up a small, clear plastic box that held several slips of paper. Iruka cleared his throat before starting to explain. "In the box Mizuki is holding are slips of paper listing the three basic Academy techniques. You will be called into the testing room one at a time to perform the Jutsu you pull from it. While Mizuki-Sensei and I are testing, the rest of you may do what you want, as long as it's quiet and isn't disruptive to other classes. If you are given a passing grade for all parts overall, then you will recieve your very own headband, symbolizing your pride for your village, as well as your loyalty to it. If there are no questions, then we will proceed." Nobody bothered to ask anything, mainly because they were tired from all the testing. "We will be going in alphabetical order, by last name, so Aburame Shino will be first."

Naruto decided to rest his head, knowing that only one person was after him on the roster.

* * *

A couple hours later, he was standing in the test room. Both teachers were staring at him as he glared at the small slip of paper in his hand, reading crystal clear: 'Bunshin no Jutsu, minimum of three'. He crumpled it up and threw it onto the desk his teachers were seated at.

"Alright, fine. You want clones? I'll give you the best group of clones you've ever seen!" Naruto immediately began gathering chakra, enough that a sphere of it became visible to the eye.

Iruka closed his eyes and sighed, hoping the blonde haired boy would be able to pass this time. With a one in three chance of the clone jutsu being picked, Iruka knew that Naruto deserved a lucky break more than anyone right now. His partner Elecmon was sitting next to him, hoping for the best as well. As Iruka and Elecmon were praying for his student and Naruto was concentrating, none saw Mizuki and ViElecmon sharing a crooked smile.

After a few moments of channeling his chakra, Naruto cried out "Bunshin no Jutsu!" He believed his focus was perfect and that his visualization was spot on; he even channeled enough chakra that the room glowed blue with it. He was confident that he had finally managed to create some clones, that he wouldn't fail this time. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Iruka's happy grin; unfortunately, all he saw was sorrow, causing the orange wearing boy to know he failed once more.

Looking to the side, he saw what his clones looked like. One looked like it was dying of some horrible disease, while the other two had somehow merged into one grotesque mutated looking creature with two heads, three legs, and its arms in the place of its outmost ears.

"I'm truely sorry Naruto." Iruka started. "But I cannot simply allow you to pass. One clone looks like its dying, while the other looks like somthing out of a B-Class horror movie."

Mizuki cleared his throat. "I don't know Iruka, something like that could become useful in the right situation. Besides, his scores in the other three areas are of adequate levels that they more than make up for it. Plus, none of us here want to see him get sealed, so why don't we pass him anyways?"

"You know we can't do that." Elecmon stated. "Even if his other scores could cover it, he still needs a passing grade in all areas to pass. Those are the rules you know; we don't send any unprepared ninja out to die."

"Nor will we lie to the Hokage about the test results; we can't make any exceptions for anyone. I have no doubt that if you had pulled one of the other two jutsu, then you would've passed with flying colors."

"I understand, Iruka-Sensei." Naruto's voice sounded so void of emotion, Iruka nearly winced.

* * *

Naruto sat sideways on a swing hanging from a tree on the school grounds. Many of the other students from his year were gathered around, celebrating with their families. He could hear the whispers of the adults, mocking him, glad he had failed.

"He's not hard on you because he hates you." ViElecmon's voice caught Naruto's attention. "I think he considers you like the little brother he never had; he wants to protect you and keep you safe."

Mizuki walked up next to him, staring up through the branches at the sun crawling its way slowly towards the west. They stood that way for a while before Mizuki spoke, his voice somber. "I never really understood the whole 'protecting everyone' thing. It's always been my belief that the best way for someone to be safe is for them to get strong. Teach them to stand on their own and protect themselves, you know? Like that old saying about fishing. I mean, except with fighting, because fishing is boring," Mizuki chuckled. "But it's hard to get strong as a civilian, And it's not like the jerks in this village will lift a finger to help you, eh?"

Naruto scowled towards the tree in response.

"Tell me, Naruto... How much do you want to be strong? How far will you go to protect yourself?"

Naruto responded, still scowling "I will get strong. I will protect not only me, but all the people I care about too! I don't care if I'm sealed, and I don't care if I'm a civilian. I will become Hokage someday! And there's no one in this village that's gonna stop me!" Naruto was barely whispering the words, but the intensity in his words made them seem all the louder.

Mizuki hummed to himself, as if considering something. "Well kid, I guess I got no choice but to tell you then." He smirked at Naruto's puzzled look. "There's a secret test for those who fail the exam for their third time, but it can only be issued by one of the student's instructors in private."

"Wait, if that's true then why didn't Iruka-sensei tell me about it?" Naruto responded in a surprising show of logic.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know," Mizuki shrugged. "But there's a fair chance he just doesn't know about it. After all, it is pretty rare for someone to flunk out all three times... No offense of course."

"I guess that makes sense..." Naruto conceded. "So, what do I have to do to pass this super secret test Sensei?" he asked, eyes sparking with hope once again.

Mizuki knelt next to Naruto, so their faces were inches apart, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "That's just it, this is right up your alley kid. If anyone in the entire school can pull it off, you can. What you need to do is sneak into the Hokage's tower and 'borrow' the Scroll of Seals. I gotta warn you though, you can't tell anyone why you're doing this or the test is void. You gotta get in, and get out, on your own without getting caught."

At Naruto's wide eyed stare he clarified. "This is a chunin rank mission, kid. It's purpose is to test your infiltration and information acquisition skills. Genin aren't expected to have any ability in those areas you know, that's more espionage oriented chunin and special jounin stuff. These secret tests are designed to be tough, their purpose is to make sure that we don't accidentally lose a ninja with valuable skills because of a little quirk like your clone issues."

Naruto nodded his understanding and Mizuki continued, "Now, once you have the scroll you gotta get to the rendezvous point written here." He handed Naruto a folded piece of paper. "Make sure you destroy that once you know where to go, ninja never leave evidence behind. When you reach the drop off point wait for me to come get you. I'll score you based on speed, stealth, time it takes for an alert to sound, and how long it takes them to figure out who took the scroll. All of these are important concerns for an espionage operation." He looked straight into Naruto's eyes, "if you can score high enough on this to bring your total score to passing, you will be issued a headband and will be assigned to a team with everyone else."

"But... What if I can't get enough points to make up for my Ninjutsu score?" Naruto asked.

Mizuki rocked back on his heels a moment to think. "Tell you what, just 'cause Iruka likes you, and I wanna see him cheer you on at the ceremony, I'll make you a deal. If you can learn a jutsu from the scroll and demonstrate it for me when I arrive to grade you, I'll change your Ninjutsu score to match whatever you earn demonstrating the new one. How's that sound?" Mizuki leaned forward again and offered his hand to the small boy.

Naruto stared at his sensei, awed at the generosity of the offer. "I say you got a deal!" He shouted, grasping the offered hand and shaking it vigorously. "I'll ace this test! I'll do so good they'll have to invent a new letter above 'A', dattebayo!"

"Good to hear it," Mizuki replied with a grin. He gestured to the piece of paper in Naruto's hand, "I'll meet you there at... Let's say midnight, that'll give you some time to earn that extra credit. Plus, if you can get the scroll and they don't even realize it's gone until then, I think that would qualify you for that perfect score you want." He stood and brushed off his pants briskly. "Well, if you're all set and don't have any more questions, I have a date with a hot lil lady I call sake!" That said, Mizuki vanished in a swirl of leaves, with ViElecmon sitting on his shoulders.

Naruto grinned in anticipation as he set off like a shot for his apartment, he had gear to collect for this ultimate test. This time he swore to himself: he would pass no matter what it took. Nothing would stop him. Nothing would delay him...

* * *

Later that night, Iruka was just finishing up the last of his end of the year paperwork. As he stacked the forms in his arm, planning to haul them down to the school's administration office for proper filing, he spotted the wadded up piece of paper Naruto hurled at the desk earlier. Sighing to himself for what seemed like the hundredth time that day he gathered the offending scrap, glaring at it with what anger he could hold for such an object.

"Why did you have to be Bushin?" He demanded. "Is it to much to ask for one little thing to go Naruto's way for once?" Unsurprisingly he received no response. Resisting an immature urge to just burn the thing, he decided to return it to the box for use in the future.

He sent a bit of chakra into the slip of paper, using a teacher's jutsu he'd learned over the years to repair paperwork damaged by anything from stray jutsu and kunai to being partially consumed by wild animals.

Ninja-to-be were surprisingly innovative when it came to avoiding homework, and most of the academy's teachers had no pity for unimaginative excuses. There was actually a top ten list in the teacher's lounge of best excuses ever used. Jiraiya, Iruka, and Naruto were tied for first place on it.

Iruka frowned when the paper in his hands resisted for a few seconds, before releasing a tiny burst of chakra and unfolding itself properly. His eyes went wide as he stared. The words 'Henge no Jutsu' emblazoned across it.

As he stared at the words, trying to figure out how Naruto could have confused one technique for the other, he heard a loud slam and pounding footsteps. Turning to the doorway he watched it fly open to reveal a haggard looking Kurenai Yuuhi. Kurenai had been a fellow teacher in the academy, teaching the fourth grade students until just a year ago. After teaching the prior year's class, she declared her intention to leave the academy and attain her jouninship to become a genin team sensei.

Iruka knew from personal experience that the young Hyuuga heiress had factored into the decision, both because of Kurenai's previous involvement with the girl, and because she had consulted him in regards to the best manner to request the Hokage give her the girl as a student. Personally, he hoped she got the team she chose. he believed it would be good both for the Genin involved and Kurenai herself.

"Ah... Yes, Kurenai-san? Was there something you need?" He asked absently, mind still tangling with the puzzle in his hand.

"Iruka-san," Kurenai began, almost out of breath from her swift arrival. "The Hokage summoned all active ninja to the tower..."

"Damn. I'll head right there," Iruka interrupted, dropping the stack of files on the desk.

"Don't bother," Kurenai continued, stopping Iruka mid stride. "He made his announcement already, I got here as fast as I could. It was about Naruto... He... He stole the Scroll of Seals. Every ninja in the village is out looking for him."

Iruka's eyes shot wide for a moment, before, as if by magic the pieces to his puzzle clicked into place. A glare of anger so intense settled onto the kind chunin's face that Kurenai unconsciously stepped away. "Mizuki..." he growled, his hand spasming closed and crushing the paper once again.

He looked into Kurenai's eyes a moment, lost in thought. "Go to the Hokage," he ordered, "tell him Naruto's being used. Mizuki must have planned to make Naruto fail, then use him to get the scroll."

Kurenai nodded, ignoring the fact that she outranked the teacher. "What are you going to do?" she inquired.

"Mizuki's a man of habit. There are only so many places he would choose to meet Naruto, and there's no way he would have left himself having to search for him beside the rest of the village. Naruto's too good at evading capture to leave something like this up to chance."

"And when you find him?"

"I plan to beat him into the dirt, then bring him back for Ibiki... Or maybe Anko." He grinned maliciously at the jounin when he mentioned her friend. "No one hurts my students," Iruka swore before vanishing in a shunshin.

Kurenai stared at the place he stood a moment more before turning and rushing from the room as fast as she could. On her way back to the Hokage's tower she wondered if Iruka could handle Mizuki on his own... And if he could, how much of the possible traitor would be left afterward.

* * *

Naruto sat in a clearing in a training ground just outside of Konoha proper. Apparently it was used for some kind of bandit rescue or other form of forced entry training, judging from the much battered cabin that stood nearby. He was exhausted but deliriously happy. He had managed to learn one jutsu from the scroll, and it was a bushin type to boot. No way would anyone be able to deny his graduation now! All he had to do was wait for Mizuki-sensei to get here and he'd be a genin in no time.

The rapid pounding of footsteps brought Naruto to his feet in a rush. The boy was literally bouncing in place with eagerness to see Mizuki and pass his test. His disappointment was sharp when instead Iruka slid to a stop in front of him.

"Does this mean I fail the test?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Naruto! Do you know where Mizuki is?" Iruka demanded, "I don't know what he told you, but that scroll should never have been removed from the Hokage's office. This is no test, this is treason!" Iruka swept his eyes around franticly, trying to watch everywhere at once.

"Wh... what? What do you mean there's no test? Mizuki-sensei told me..." Naruto trailed off realization dawning on him. "He's like everyone else, isn't he?" He asked quietly, not really expecting an answer.

"I'm hurt that you would think so little of me, Naruto." called out a sinister voice from the shadowed woods. "I did ask what you were willing to do to become strong didn't I? And then I gave you a way to do it... You can't honestly tell me those pathetic villagers would even consider doing something like that."

"Mizuki!" Iruka yelled, still glaring around. "Show yourself! What's this all about? Why would you do something like this?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious, Iruka? This is about power. I'm tired of being on the low end of the strength scale in this village. I'm tired of teaching stupid brats who have less potential in their whole bodies than I do in a single finger. I'm tired of waiting for this damn village to recognize my greatness! I'll force them to see my power, and Orochimaru-sama has promised to help me."

"All I need is that scroll to pay my tuition, so to say, and he'll teach me everything I need to know. He even offered to let me stand with him when he comes back to burn this place to the ground." Malevolent laughter filled the woods around them for a moment.

"Naruto," the voice continued when it's mirth had faded. "Give me the scroll, and I'll bring you with me. We can both serve Orochimaru-sama. Think about it: no more villagers to harass you, no more living in that dump you call a home, no more of this sick, disgusting, village. I'm willing to keep my promise of power... if you're willing to complete your mission. Remember, the test only ends with you a ninja when you give the scroll to me."

"Don't listen to him, Naruto," Iruka commanded. "He's just trying to manipulate you. He'll kill you the second he doesn't need you anymore."

Naruto looked from Iruka to the woods, worry and fear clearly evident in his posture and expression.

Dark chuckles came from the woods around them again. "If that were true, I'd just kill him now. Even I can see how exhausted he must be from all that training. It'd hardly be difficult right now. I certainly doubt a soft desk-ninja like you would be able to stop me, Iruka. In fact, I bet I could kill you both before you even know where I am..."

"But I'm a generous person, so I think I'll sweeten the deal for you, Naruto. If you want, I'll tell you why the village hates you so much. Why they all want to keep you weak. The secret so big no one is allowed to even whisper it in Konoha. Well? Do you want to hear it kid?"

"No! Mizuki you wouldn't dare!" Iruka cried out in surprise. "If you say it you'll be executed!"

Naruto stared at his visible teacher in shock. Iruka knew? He knew all this time? All the pain Naruto had suffered and the answer was as close to him as his own teacher... And Iruka never told him?

"Hmmm, You're right Iruka. I wouldn't want to get executed twice. On top of the treason and all I mean... I guess that just means I can't get caught!" The hidden man laughed again "You want to know the secret, Naruto? Fine! The secret is: You are the Kyuubi no Youko! All the evil that beast committed stains your very soul! Your claws, your teeth, you killed all those people who were lost that day you were born! Yondaime died trying to destroy you! But you still exist, and the village... Wants. You. Dead!"

Naruto felt his heart stop at those words... suddenly a thousand barely heard insults made sense: Fox brat, Demon, Monster. He fell to his knees in a daze, the forest seemed to be spinning around him, as if the world itself was trying to reject him.

"No!" Iruka rebutted. "Naruto's got that thing locked inside him. That much is true. But he's no more the Kyuubi than I am!" Distantly Naruto heard Iruka's denial, but everything seemed to be coming from so far away... like it didn't matter anymore.

"Oh? Well, in that case I'll just have to kill you both!" Mizuki screamed, charging forward from behind Naruto's unresponsive form, an already flying windmill shuriken leading the way.

The next sensation Naruto felt wasn't a burning pain, nor the slicing of steel through flesh. Naruto felt like he was flying. He was puzzled by the experience until he hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Iruka had grabbed Naruto by the back of his jumpsuit and launched him to safety while staying himself and bashing the giant throwing star out of the air with the other arm. Unfortunately for Iruka, the razor sharp edge of the weapon ripped a long gash along his upper arm.

Iruka grabbed the wound, wincing in pain before being forced to dodge from the rapidly approaching Mizuki. The traitorous nin was wielding his second shuriken as if it were a buzz saw. Slashing and swiping with it almost recklessly.

"Why would you help that damned demon!" The treacherous ninja exclaimed. "Why the hell would you save the monster that killed your parents! The Yondaime! Everyone!"

Iruka darted forward when his opponent's wild swing left him overbalanced momentarily and delivered a bruising kick to the gut, knocking him away. "Because, it's like I said." Iruka replied. "Naruto is not the demon fox. He's one of my precious students. And anyone who wants to hurt my students, will do so over my dead body!" Iruka drew a pair of kunai and charged at Mizuki, with a cry of "Now, Elecmon!"

"**Elecmon, evolve!**" A bright light shined in the distance, signalling the metamorphasis.

"**Leppamon! **Vacuum Kamaitachi!" was called out in quick succession as the light faded, with a blade of wind severing the top of many trees in the area.

"Shit!" Mizuki cursed. "ViElecmon, go find that annoyance and delete it!"

"**ViElecmon, evolve! Bakemon!**" Mizuki's partner became it's own Adult form before heading off into the the brush in search of the hidden Digimon, whom kept repeating its attack in hopes of distracting the traitor.

"It's over Mizuki! ANBU will be here in minutes to find out what's going on." Iruka proclaimed, unfazed by the falling treetops. "Your only options are peaceful surrender or painful capture."

* * *

Naruto was transfixed as the battle between the two ninja continued, twin kunai against giant shuriken. He was confused as to why Iruka would go so far for him. Sure, he was a damn good teacher, but how many teachers would get in a fight to the death for their students?

Meanwhile Iruka was taking full advantage of the disorienting effect Leppamon's attack was having on Mizuki, pushing the traitor ninja onto his heels time and again. Iruka seemed to have every advantage for a short while... right until Leppamon's attacks stopped being shot off from their constant pace.

"Looks like my partner found yours," Mizuki gloated with a cruel expression. "I wonder how long it'll be before Bakemon shreds it to pieces?"

Iruka unconsciously darted his eyes towards where he knew Reppamon would be fighting against his Viral adversary.

Such distraction would be dangerous in any battle between ninja, but against an opponent who knows it's coming, even a moment's inattention can prove deadly. Unfortunately for Iruka, Mizuki knew him well enough to be such an opponent.

The instant his eyes moved, Mizuki stopped the spinning blades of his shuriken, bringing both hands to the central ring he grabbed and twisted. With an almost silent click the blades came apart in two sections forming a pair of large knives with a blade pointing forward and back from the grip.

Bringing his extended arm back to position in a slash across his body, he managed to score a deep wound across Iruka's chest, only the loyal teacher's quick reflexes prevented the swing from removing his head. Mizuki anticipated this reaction however, and was already charging forward punching with the opposite blade. Iruka spun away and instead of being disemboweled, merely felt the blade slice through his vest and scratch a thin line across his abdomen.

He jumped away, but was again anticipated as the first dagger sliced towards his extended leg, so that the force of Iruka's own leap aided in the strike, dragging him up along the blade and cutting a shallow but freely bleeding wound from his knee nearly to his ankle.

Iruka landed hard, and collapsed, grabbing his wounded leg and trying to staunch the blood flowing out.

Iruka felt his partners energy was waning as well, and he knew both of them would be in for it. He dicided that if they were going to go out, it would be with all their might. A symbol that looked similar to a pair of glasses appeared briefly in front of him, before shooting of into the distance.

"**Leppamon, Super-Evolve!**" Iruka's partner cryed out as the symbol of Monsho (Knowledge) entered his body. "**Qilinmon!**"

"Don't forget, Iruka, almost every Chunnin can reach Perfection with ease!" Mizuki called out, black energy shooting out in the form of lighting towards his partner.

"**Bakemon, Dark Evolve! Phantomon!**" Mizuki's own Digimon partner called out, before the sounds of battle continued from their direction.

"I gotta admit. You gave me a lot better a workout than I expected, Iruka." Mizuki stated. "But I'm afraid I gotta cut this little party short. I sure didn't bring near enough sake for me, you, the brat, and all the Anbu that are likely to find us before too long... In fact, I'm not sure I brought enough for just me. And since it's rude for the host to hog all the drinks, I guess I just gotta end this little get together. Oh well." He smiled his twisted grin again, " Oh, and don't worry about your precious student, I'll be sure to kill him just like you want. Right over your dead body."

* * *

Just as Mizuki was about to stab into Iruka, a large and unwieldy object plowed into him from the side, sending him tumbling end over end. After a moment's panicky repositioning so as to not kill himself with his own blades, he rolled to his feet, settling into a ready stance.

"Aww, getting impatient Naruto? I was just about to get to you. Or did you finally decide to accept my offer?"

"You're a fool if you think I'll go anywhere with you," the boy stated boldly. "You already told me you were going to kill me. Why should I trust you?"

"Hmph!" the traitor grunted in return. "As if this village has any better plan for you. At least I'd kill you clean. Better than leaving you to waste away in some dumpster for the rest of your miserable life."

"Maybe," Naruto conceded. "But I don't plan on wasting away anywhere! I trust Iruka-sensei when he says I'm precious to him. I trust Iruka-sensei when he says I'm not Kyuubi. I trust Sarutobi-jiji when he promised to help me become a ninja however he can. And If I have to go through this village one person at a time and prove I'm not a monster, prove I'm not a demon, prove I'm not Kyuubi. Then that's what I'll do! I'll prove to all of them! I will protect this village, and all of it's people, from traitors like you! And by the time I'm done, they'll be begging me to be Hokage! Dattebayo!"

"Lovely speech Naruto," Mizuki yawned, covering his mouth with one hand (and almost stabbing himself on the unusual weapon in the process). "But it takes more than pretty words to make things like that happen you know."

Naruto nodded in response. "I know, and I still have a test to pass. Don't I Mizuki-_sensei_" The traitor cocked an eyebrow at that comment. "I delivered the scroll as ordered. So, what would you score me for that?" Naruto asked, challenge ringing clearly in his words.

Mizuki glanced at the object that struck him, identifying it as the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and chuckled a bit, "Well kid, based on the criteria I named... I'd have given you a B+... but taking out a Kage in the process? That bumps you to an A+ easily. Not that it'll do you any good when you're dead... But at least you'll know you did something right before you go, you know?"

Iruka was staring at Naruto in shock. Taking out a Kage? What the hell did he miss today?

Naruto nodded again. "Then I guess that just leaves one thing to do. I'm ready for my ninjutsu evaluation. What do you say we make it a combat test? That sound appropriate _Sensei?_"

"Anytime you're ready fox brat."

Naruto's hands came up in a cross shaped sign. "Try not to die before you give me my grade, I'd hate to lose my chance to become a genin because you got weak on me." Naruto commented to Mizuki's ire. "**Kage Bushin no Jutsu**!"

A cloud of chakra smoke filled the area blinding all three for a long second before revealing... a veritable army of identical figures.

**"How's this?" **the group roared. **"Is this a passing grade or what?"**

Mizuki looked around at the impossible event unfolding before his eyes. He swallowed heavily, he had always excelled at one on one combat, but against a horde this size?

He knew it was a bad day to leave the bar.

**"Well then, If you aren't gonna say anything... Then here we come!" **In a rush of orange and yellow, the grand melee beat down of the traitor Mizuki began in earnest. The Naruto's were just sad that he didn't give them their extra credit before he passed out from the pain.

* * *

Minutes later Naruto and Iruka were the only conscious beings in the clearing. Iruka had bound his wounds to the best of his ability; then tied Mizuki up, with no regard to the man's comfort, should he awake.

"So..." Naruto began, "I really have the Kyuubi stuck inside me, huh?"

"I'm afraid so Naruto," his teacher replied. "You always have though, so don't think it changes anything about you. You... well, you just know about it now."

"Why was it such a secret anyway? And not even a good one. Was I the only person who didn't know?"

"I don't know. That's probably something you'll have to talk over with Hokage-sama. He's the one who made the law forbidding it's discussion after all."

"Aw, man." Naruto groaned, "And after all that effort, the stupid test was a total lie..."

"Mizuki did lie to you, Naruto, but that's doesn't mean..."

Iruka was interuppted by an odd crackling sound coming from the woods nearby, Elecmon staggering out. "Bastard almost got me, but he's been reformatted." Elecmon wheezed out, before reverting to Tsunomon and passing out. The injuries were already starting to heal, due to a digimon's advanced healing factor.

"I'm surprised you didn't Download his data, given that Mizuki's no longer going to be a ninja." Iruka said mostly to himself as he stumbled over to pick up his partner. Despite being injured himself, Iruka knew that with the break from school coming up, he'd have enough time to heal on his own before going back to active duty. "As I was saying, Naruto. Mizuki may have lied to you, but it doesn't mean that you won't become a ninja. Given the fact that you've pretty much already mastered a Jounin level Jutsu and are able to use it to the extent that you just did, I'm sure the Hokage will allow it. In fact, I'm going to talk to him about it when I go give my report of the events that happened here."

"You should go a head and do that now, Iruka-Sensei." Naruto said. "I'll just wait here with traitor, that way I can explain myself when the ANBU get here. After all, if I'm gonna be considered an adult if I do get to be a ninja, then I'd best start by taking responsibility of my own actions."

* * *

When the Anbu arrived, Naruto was sitting near Mizuki looking dejected and poking the unconscious man with a stick. Nearby was a light blue Digi-Egg with dark blue triangles forming a pattern on it. The ANBU squad had passed Iruka on their way to the location and had been given a brief overview of what went down.

"Uzumaki-san?" one of the Anbu inquired in a feminine like voice voice. The porcelain mask of this one was in the shape of a cat's head.

The boy nodded without looking up.

"Very well. My comrades will take the traitor to the T&I division holding cells. My orders are to bring you and the scroll to the Hokage at once."

Naruto stood without saying a word, and passed the scroll over to the woman. She meanwhile was feeling decidedly unsettled. Naruto Uzumaki was never quiet, and never this still. A glance at her team and their tense postures revealed their own apprehension. One had even tried to dispel, in case of a genjutsu. Her own Digimon, a light purple furred cat with wings called TobuCatmon was looking at him in shock.

"I'm ready to go now, Anbu-san," he said in a subdued voice.

The person swallowed their concern, there was something wrong with the boy, that much was certain. But if anyone could set the boy to rights, it would be the venerable Sandaime.

"Very well then, Let us be off." They replied, before taking them both away in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

And that is the end of the first chapter folks. To those who enjoy, feel free to review. I'll even take flames, since they make nice tasty marshmellows.

If anyone has any questions about how things will work in this story, feel free to ask. I will try to explain anything, provided it doesn't contain spoilers, in either a PM or an Author's Note at the end of the next chapter. Keeping that in mind, I'm going to answer some questions right now that might come up later.

1. Will anyone be partnered to any majorly powerful Digimon, such as the Sovereigns?

Answer: No one will be partnered to the Soverigns. Nor will they be paired with one of THE Devas (though someone might end up with one of their 'desendants'), any of the Ten Legendary Warriors (with one minor exception being the two rookie forms of Flamon and Strabimon) nor anyone else that would be seen as a god. Since they are essentially Kami with their power level, having someone partnered with one is just... NO. Besides, each has a special role in the world, which will be revealed later.

2. Will Character A be partnered with Digimon B?

Answer: I've pretty much got a list of who is partnerd with who, at least for the characters up throught the end of the Chunnin Exams. I've even got a full evolutionary chain for them up through Ultimate (Mega). Each is picked based on the ninja who their partnered with, traits and personality wise. Which means if you're expecting Naruto to be partnered to Renamon: tough luck, it's not happening. Why? To cliche, and too much of a 'DERP, imma be completely unoriginal with this' thing. If anyone wants to take a guess as to who gets who, go ahead and speculate away; if you're right, I'll let you know. If you want the full list, you gotta make it worthwhile to me.

3. How does the evolution process work?

Answer: First by levels. Gennin can reach up to Adult (Champion for you American viewers) level with ease, and under dire circumstances Perfection (Ultimate). Chunnin are much the same, but about half can reach Perfection with ease, and Ultimate (Mega...) with the right conditions; also the same half that can reach Perfection easier may have their Digimon constantly in their Adult form. Jonnin can reach Perfection easily to the point where their Digimon would be in the Adult form constantly, and only revert to a lower form when willed to or when their energy is totally spent. They can also reach 'Mega' in some cases. Kage level would be constantly in Perfection form and can reach Mega or higher with ease.

As for how they would evolve to higher levels that normally would require Crests or Digimentals, certain people can tap into the aspects of certain elements, such as Iruka tapping into the trait of Knowledge. I'm still in the process of assigning traits to everyone, but will eventually have them by the time we get to a point of needing them.

4. Will the ability to download other digimons data or taking their Fractal Code be present?

Answer: Yes, a Digimon can download an other's data; however, this will only be in the case if the victim Digimon's partner is no longer around. As for the Fractal Code's... I know very little about that subject so I'm not going to use it.

5. Will human characters from any installment of the Digimon series pop up?

Answer: Possibly. I've got the basis for a history chapter set, and I might post if I can get it worked out right.

6. Will there be any Human/Digimon Crossbreeding lemony goodness?

Answer: I suck at writing lemons. Most people can do it from having experienced it before; I've only experienced it once before, and ended up getting dumped the next day (sad, I know...). However, there will be hints to some romance between a human and a Digimon. Yaoi and Yuri may appear, but only in rare cases.

Note: For those who have seen Adventures 02, you know Miyako (Yolei, bleh!) was partnered with Hawkmon, who is a male; and it is speculated in most fanfiction that a Chosen partnered with a Digimon of opposite gender tends to be bi. For any who would argue Hawkmon's gender because of what was said in the show... go look up the differences between the original Japanese audio and the bastardized American versions.

Now then, I believe this Author's Note is getting too long; therefore, I'm closing it here. May have the next chapter soon, might not. But first...

_**Digital Analyzer Time!**_

In this segment, I will give a brief description of a Digimon, usually one that played a prominent role in the chapter. For this chapter, it will be..

_**Elecmon**. Child (Rookie) Level. Attribute: Data_

_A Mammal Digimon who Digivolved from Tsunomon, but kept the latter's mammalian elements. It is as every bit as naughty as Tsunomon, and is also very curious. Elecmon has nine tails, and when it fights, it intimidates the enemy by spreading them out like the tail feathers of a peacock. Its special attack is "Sparkling Thunder"._

_Attacks (Note: Japanese name of the attack will be in parentheses, mainly for my sanities sake):_

_**Super Thunder Strike** (Sparkling Thunder): Shoots electric bolts from its tails._

_**Body Attack** (Nine Tails): Smacks foe with its electrically-charged tails._

_**Lightning Knife** (Thunder Knife): Stealthily releases three knives of electricity_

_As an added bonus:_

_**ViElecmon** Child Level. Attribute: Virus_

_This Elecmon evolved into the Virus attribute. It has acquired an ill-mannered personality and uses the electricity in its tail to annoy people by interfering with their communication links._

_Attacks:_

_**Jamming Thunder**: Shoots electric bolts from its tails._

_**Dark Tail** (Tail's Tusk): Smacks foe with its electrically-charged tails._

_**Assassin Bolt** (Assassin's Bolt): Stealthily releases three darts of electricity._

That ends this chapter.

Until Next Time...  
DCM


	2. Becoming A Team

Disclaimer: Don't own either Naruto or Digimon.

Warning: Strict Japanese usage for Digimon terms, with certain exceptions. I feel they butchered it in the translation, and therefore refuse to use the English terms for most things.

-  
Chapter 2 - Becoming a Team  
-

Three sharp raps from his front door awoke Naruto from his deep slumber. It had been three days since the Mizuki Incident, and after an extremely long discussion with the Village Council, they had decided that Naruto was allowed to become a ninja. Iruka and Elecmon had come to his apartment the day after the incident to inform him of such, as well as dropping off his headband. The next day, the Hokage and his partner, a Perfect Level Wisemon, had visited as well and treated him to Ramen Ichiraku. Now, Naruto wasn't sure who could be knocking at his door; he didn't know of anyone else that would want to visit, and both of his previous visitors would more than likely be working.

Before Naruto could get halfway to the door, a piece of paper slipped in through the mail hole. Naruto examined the envelope cautiously for a few minutes before deciding it was safe. He picked it up and opened it carefully, still completely unsure if it was safe. However it was just a simple reminder: team assignments were tomorrow at the Academy at 9 in the morning. Naruto sighed; both Iruka and Hiruzen had reminded him about the same thing.

He had asked about getting his Digimon partner, however both had said the same thing: 'It is your Jounin-Sensei's responsibility to take you to get your Digimon partner'. He had also asked about the possibilities of what his partner could be. According to both: "Most ninja are paired with a Digimon that shares traits similar to them, and the desire of what they want to be. If you change your course of actions, your partner changes to reflect it, even if it means they become a completely different species of the same level." Naruto sighed once more. He couldn't wait to meet his partner, and he was happy that he would be making a new friend.

For once, Naruto wasn't the last one to get to the Academy. However, when he did arrive...

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing here? Only those who passed the exam are supposed to be here." one of the civilian students asked.

"Can't you see this headband? I'm a ninja now, just like everyone else here!" the blond haired boy proclaimed loudly.

"How the hell did you become a ninja when you failed to pass the test?" exclaimed half of the class.

"I helped expose a traitor to the village, as well as learned a super powerful new Jutsu that beats anything any of you got right now." Naruto coolly stated. A few minutes later, every student that had graduated learned the story of what happened a few nights ago, including the students who walked in after him.

Half an hour later, Iruka and Elecmon walked into the classroom. One Sparkling Thunder to get everyone's attention later, Iruka cleared his throat. "Alright everyone, settle down. Starting today, all of you are real Shinobi and Kunoichi. However, you are still Gennin; the hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Soon, you will get missions to help the village; therefore we will be creating three man teams, excluding Digimon partners, each with a Jounin-Sensei. Each team is designed to be balanced out. You will follow your sensei's instructions in order to successfully complete you missions..."

As Iruka continued his speech, a lot of the new ninja's were thinking of who their team members were, as well as the possibilities of who their Digimon partner could be.

'_Pfft... Three man teams? That only means more people in my way. I suppose they could help me get stronger, so long as I can get powerful enough to defeat HIM. My Digimon needs to be strong enough to help me as well..._"

"_I just have to be in the same team as Sasuke-kun! I don't care who else is in it, just as long as Sasuke-kun is in it; I don't even care if Naruto is in it. I hope my partner can help me get Sasuke-kun's attention, in any way possible._"

"_Hmm... I want to be with Sakura-chan, and... Anyone besides Sasuke-teme. As for my partner... according to Iruka-Sensei and Jiji-san, they're going to reflect who I am. So maybe a fox digimon or perhaps one that knows the feeling of being shunned..._"

"_Hmm... More than likely, I'm going to be teamed with Inuzuka-san and Hyuuga-san; we would be great as a tracking team. And according to the family archives, I'm more than likely going to end up with an insectoid Digimon..._"

"_Two cute girls, two cute girls, two cute girls... and a powerful partner as well. Probably going to be a canine, like all the other ninja in the clan._"

"_Oh, please let me be teamed with Naruto... hopefully I'll get a Digimon that Father and the Clan approve of, but can also help me and my team..._"

"_Troublesome... Its obvious Chouji, Ino, and I are going to teamed up. It's been our families' tradition to place the future heads on the same team for the past sixteen generations. As long as they aren't troublesome, I don't really care who my teammates nor who my Digimon are._"

"_I wonder if my teammates will have any decent cooking skills. Mm mm... Barbeque... I'm getting hungry again... I wonder if my Digimon will be big like the rest of my family, maybe even a dinosaur._"

"_I don't care who I'm teamed with, as long as Forehead doesn't get teamed with Sasuke-kun. I'm more than likely going to get a plant-like Digimon, what with the family business and all._"

"...Next, Team Seven. Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto cheered at this, while Sakura hung her head. "And Uchiha Sasuke." Now Sakura cheered, while Naruto was grumbling and Ino was silently cursing her.

"_Aww... I didn't get teamed up with Naruto-kun..._" Hinata thought while Naruto argued with Iruka about why he was on the same team as Sasuke.

"Team Eight will be Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba. Team Nine will be..." Iruka stated the team members. "Finally, Team Ten will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji."

"That's everyone." Elecmon said, streching on top of the teacher's desk. "This afternoon, your Jounin-Sensei's will come pick you up. Until then, take a break."

While most teams had decided to spend lunch getting to know the members that were within them, Team Seven's members had spent it doing their own thing. Naruto had tried asking his two new teammates out for lunch, but neither one wanted to eat with him. However, once lunch was over with and the Jounin-Sensei had started to collect their teams, they realized that they were going to be stuck there for a while. The only teams that remained after the first hour were Seven, Eight, and Ten.

The doors slid open once more after a few minutes, and in walked a man with short, spiky hair and a beard, with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He was wearing the standard Konoha ninja uniform, though around his waist was a sash with the kanji for 'Fire'. Right behind him was a small mechanical dragon-like digimon, primarily a dark navy blue in color; strapped to the digimon's right thigh was a combat knife.

"Hello kids. I'm Sarutobi Asuma, and this is my partner, Sealsdramon. I'm here for Team Ten; if you would please, follow me." The three gennin gathered their things and left the last six to their own devices.

Ten minutes after Team Ten left, in walked a woman with long, black hair wearing a red mesh shirt underneath a white layered shirt, resembling bandages with a black, thorn like pattern on top of them. Floating on a broom next to the red-eyed kunoichi was blonde haired woman wearing mainly red robes and a red witch's hat, with a black cape slowly flowing behind despite no wind being present.

"Greetings. I'm Yuhi Kurenai, and this is Witchmon." The woman with red eyes introduced herself and her Digimon partner to the remaining Gennin. "Team Eight, gather you things and follow me."

Two hours later, and Team Seven was getting anxious. Naruto, reverting to his old prankster self, had set up a small gag: he simply stuck the chalkboard eraser in the door so it would land on the next person who would step through it.

Despite Sakura claiming that a Jounin level ninja wouldn't fall for a simple trick as that, moments later the door opened. A silver haired man with a mask covering the lower part of his face stuck his head through the entrance, causing the 'trap' to be activated. A small sneeze was heard from behind him after the powder from the eraser dissipated, followed by another one.

"Hmm... How can I say this? My first impression is..." the silver haired man started. "I don't like you guys."

"Neither do I." a meter and a half tall digimon said. The digimon was primarily white in color, with only the top of its head and two-thirds of its ears being a lime green color. It had a belt wrapping around its torso, going from its left shoulder to its right hip. It was also wearing a pair of blue jean, and its hands were mechanical.

A few minutes later, after gather their things, Team Seven reconvened on the schools roof.

"Well, let's begin with introducing yourselves." the Jounin stated, sitting on the rail that lined the edge.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked. The Jounin just shrugged.

"How about your likes, dislikes, your dreams for the future and things like that?" Galgomon suggested from nearby.

"Why don't you guys introduce yourselves first, eh? It was your idea." Naruto pointed out.

"Hmm... Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future...hmmm, don't really have one. Oh, and I have lots of hobbies."

"So all he told us was his name..." Sakura grumbled.

"I'm Galgomon. My likes and dislikes don't really matter. My dream doesn't matter, either, since it's going to become reality eventually. And my hobbies are the same as Kakashi."

"And pretty much the same for his digimon." Sasuke commented.

"Now it's your turn." Kakashi and Galgomon said in unison.

"Right. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What I like is cup ramen, and I like it even more when someone else, especially Iruka-Sensei, pays for my ramen. What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the cup ramen to cook..."

"_Does he only think about ramen?_" was the thought on everyone else's mind.

"And my dream is to surpass all the Hokages, and then have the people of this village acknowledge my existence!" This statement caused a look of surprise to appear on everyone's face, albeit temporarily due to his next words. "As for hobbies, I guess I'd say my pranking."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." The brooding dark haired boy decided to continue before any incidents could occur. "There are lots of things I dislike and I don't really like anything. As for a dream... No, an ambition: the resurrection of my clan, and to kill a certain man."

"_So... cool._" "_He better not mean me.._." "_...Like I thought_." Was the individual thought of the other three humans present. Galgomon however... "Pinkie, you're next. Let's wrap this up so we can all go home."

"Oh, right. My name is Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is... Well the person I like is... and uhm my dream for the future is..." With each statement, she kept giving a sideways glance to the Uchiha boy. "Oh yeah! What I dislike is Naruto." This caused said blonde to make a face similar to if he had been punched in the stomach.

"_Girls of this age are more interested in love that Ninjutsu..._" Kakashi thought, and the look his digital companion gave meant that he was sharing the same thought. "Okay, that's good enough for introductions. Tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi."

"Does that mean you're going to take us to get our Digimon partners?" Naruto asked excitedly, having quickly recovered from Sakura's statement. With this, both of the blonde's teammates looked at Kakashi expectantly.

"Before we do that, we are going to do a certain something." This caused all three to lower their heads in disappointment. Just as Naruto opened his mouth to ask, Kakashi answered. "It's a survival training exercise."

This caused all three to become confused. "Survival training? Why is the first thing training? We've had enough training at the Academy." Sakura asked.

"This isn't normal training." Galgomon spoke up. "This time, we're going to be your opponents."

"What? Why?" all three gennin asked.

"Well... out of the graduates, usually only nine will be chosen to become real gennin. The rest are sent back to the Academy." Kakashi stated nonchalantly.

"It's an extremely difficult exam, with the failure rate being over sixty-six percent." Galgomon added. The look of surprise on the younger ninja made Kakashi wish he had a camera.

"No way! We worked so hard!" Naruto said, not bothering adding in the fact that he had gone through the Academy longer than the other two. "What was the point of graduating then?"

"That was just to see who would have a chance at becoming real ninja. Anyway, tomorrow you have to show your real skills on the training grounds." Kakashi stated in a tone of boredom.

"Bring all the ninja tools you have." Galgomon informed them. "Oh, and skip breakfast, or else you might throw up." With that, Kakashi handed the three a piece of paper with the details, including a map on how to get to Training Grounds Three.

The next day...

"Hey guys, good morning!" Kakashi waved to the three humans and one digimon that had been waiting for two hours at Training Ground 7.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed while Sasuke just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Get lost on the road of life again?" Galgomon simply asked, sounding more like a statement. "I almost degenerated to Terriermon, what with you being too far for too long."

"Sorry about that, though you could've at least waited for me." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Sometimes you act too much like your old teammate." Galgomon said, shaking his head.

"And you're proof of that. I recall when you were evolved from a Gummimon into Gabumon, not Terriermon." the Jounin stated, looking like he was recalling old times.

"Kakashi-Sensei, what do you mean by that?" Sakura asked.

"When a ninja has an extreme change in their life, such as deciding which field they want to specialize in or losing someone important to them, their digimon might change form to reflect that." Naruto stated in a voice that made him sound wise. "At least, that's what Iruka-Sensei told me the other day."

"That's correct, Naruto. In fact, before deciding to become a teacher at the academy, his Digimon went from Tsunomon to PicoDevimon." Galgomon stated. "Once he changed from his prankish ways to someone who wanted to help others grow properly into ninja, after his partner got reformatted in a battle, once it got to the point of evolving into its child level, it changed what it evolved to." _**(A/N: Will explain further in Authors note at the end.)**_

"Now then, if you're all ready..." Kakashi pulled an alarm clock from the bag he was carrying. He set it down on the middle of one of the three training posts nearby. "This clock is set to go off at noon." He then pulled something from his pocket: two bells attached to a string. "Your task is to take these bells from me before the clock goes off. Those who don't have a bell by then, doesn't get lunch. Not only that, but I'll tie you to one of these posts, and those that are tied to the posts get to watch those who are not eat the lunch I so graciously prepared."

"_So that's why he told us not to eat..._" all three grumbled in their minds.

"You only have to get one bell." Galgomon continued the explanation. "Since there are only two, one of you will definitely be tied to a post. Oh, and me and Kakashi will each have one, so your facing both of us." This caused the three students to pale, knowing that a Digimon can be deadly even at Child level.

"And... the person who doesn't take a bell fails the test." Kakashi stated in a serious tone. "Therefore, one of you will be sent back to the Academy. If you want, you can use shuriken and kunai."

"You won't succeed unless you come at us with the intention to kill." Galgomon finished.

"You're so slow; you couldn't even dodge a blackboard eraser." Naruto stated. "If you want us to come at you like were trying to kill you, then we definitely will."

"In the real world, those with no talent and the dead last often bark the loudest." Both the digimon and his partner stated in unison. This caused the blonde to get angry, especially the 'dead last' part. Before either could continue, he pulled a kunai out of his holster and started to charge at Kakashi.

"Well, it seems you're finally prepared to fight with the intent to kill." Kakashi stated from behind Naruto, holding the blondes arm so the kunai was pressed against the back of his own head. The shock was evident on all three of the younger human's faces. "However, I haven't even said 'Start' yet. I think I'm starting to like you guys."

"I agree. Let's get going then, shall we?" Galgomon said, with his right arm poised to shoot Naruto from the front. Both he and his human partner backed away from the three ninja-hopefuls to allow them free movement.

"BEGIN!" At this, all four ninja jumped away from each other, while Galgomon back flipped into the sky, using his large ears to keep him floating enough that he slowly glided down to a new location within the training grounds.

The first person Kakashi and Galgomon encountered was Naruto. The blonde boy, despite having the ability to create physical clones that could fight alongside himself, was outclassed in skills. Even a surprise attack from the pond he had been launched into by Kakashi's 'One Thousand Years of Death' attack was useless, as just as the gang of orange wearing blondes was going to pummel the silver haired Jounin, Kakashi used the Body Replacement Technique to replace himself with one of Naruto's own clones.

After Naruto solved his own identity crisis, he had noticed one of the bells was lying on the ground beneath a nearby tree. However, when he was within grabbing distance, a rope wrapped around his ankle and dragged him into the air to dangle from the tree.

Galgomon walked up and picked the bell from the ground. "Think before you using a Jutsu, or else it could be used against you. Also, don't fall for such obvious traps, idiot. A ninja must be able to see underneath the underneath; that's something that they should've taught you at the academy." Before Galgomon continued his lecture to Naruto, he raised his arm and used his metal coated hand to block the shuriken that were thrown by Sasuke. "These big ears aren't just for show, either. Don't forget that the senses of Digimon are at least five times more powerful than a human's, and high level ninja train their senses to be of comparable levels."

Naruto was getting tired of being lectured, and used one of his kunai to cut himself free. He landed upright, and was going to attack the Digimon; however, as soon as he took a single step, another rope tied itself around his ankle and hung him upside down once more. "Dammit! The exact same trap!"

While Naruto was flailing about, and with Sasuke's location being discovered from him throwing his shuriken, Kakashi decided to go after his next target. Said target was easy to spot due to her bubblegum pink hair, as well as the fact that she was frantically looking for her darker themed teammate, trying not to think of all that bad things that Kakashi or Galgomon could've done to him since revealing himself. The kunoichi spotted the Jounin reading from the orange covered book that he had pulled out before Naruto had attempted to fight him, and figured he hadn't spotted him yet.

"Behind you Sakura." the silver haired Jounin said from in front of her. When she turned around, she was met with another Kakashi, whose hands were in the Rat Handseal. Leaves clouded her vision, and when they had cleared Kakashi was nowhere in sight. A noise from behind her made her turn, and made her panic at what she saw: Sasuke, missing his left arm, twisted legs, and numerous kunai and shuriken impaling his body. As a result, Sakura screamed loudly, started to cry, then proceeded to foam at the mouth and pass out.

"I think that was a little too much." Galgomon pointed out to Kakashi as they were standing in a nearby clearing. Galgomon decided to let Naruto stew while hanging from the tree in the clearing, and had found his partner shortly afterwards.

"Perhaps, or maybe she just easily fell for it. Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing is only a D-Ranked Jutsu, so Genin should be able to easily identify and break it."

"That may be true, _Sensei_, but Sakura is more of the book smart type." Sasuke stated, standing across the small clearing from the higher ranked ninja and his Digimon partner. "She also has a decent amount of physical strength, what with flooring the Dobe in a single hit and all. However, I'm not the same as either of them."

"Say that after you have a bell." Galgomon stated before turning to leave. "I'm going to check up on the idiot."

"The last of the village's most powerful clan, the Uchiha. This could be interesting..." Kakashi stated, still reading from Icha Icha Paradise. After a brief stare-down, Sasuke threw a few dozen shuriken at him, which he easily dodged. "Such obvious attacks are useless." Kakashi commented in a dull voice. The sound of a rope being cut by the throwing stars caused him to pay more attention, as the Uchiha's trap sent several daggers in his direction.

Once more, Kakashi easily dodged them; this distraction was enough that Sasuke had gotten behind him and was aiming to land a kick to his face. Kakashi barely blocked it, and noted that the kick was powerful enough that it could've broken his jaw if he hadn't blocked it. Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's ankle in order to throw him, but the younger ninja used his momentum to twist his body to punch Kakashi; another blocked attack, and Sasuke's free leg was aiming for Kakashi's head. The friction caused by the captured leg twisting in his grasp was enough that Kakashi had let go, and had barely blocked both legs from hitting his skull.

A slight tug warned the Jounin that the Genin was aiming for the bell tied at his waist, so he tossed the Uchiha boy a few feet away from him. _'Damn, I didn't even get a chance to read a single line of my book.'_ was the only thought Kakashi had as Sasuke regained an upright position. "Well, I acknowledge that you are different from the other two..."

Before Kakashi could continue his small rant, Sasuke's hands flew into handseals so fast, the silver haired ninja couldn't make out most of them; only the last two did he catch, and they were the Horse and Tiger Handseals. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball!" Sasuke called out before a small stream of fire left his mouth. Kakashi thought that the technique would've failed, due to its high level of chakra consumption, but the end of the stream expanded into a giant ball of fire, heading straight for him.

When his technique faded, Sasuke couldn't see the Jounin anymore. He searched around momentarily before a tug on his pants made him look down. "Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation!" Kakashi's voice resounded from below, before pulling most of his body underground, leaving only his head. Kakashi then reappeared above ground in front of Sasuke, and patted him on the head. "Well, you're already further along in Ninjutsu than most your age. But hey, they say an exposed nail should be hammered in, haha!" He disappeared in a swirl of leaves after walking away a short distance.

Sakura had regained consciousness and started looking for Sasuke, believing what she saw was real. When she came across him in his current state, however, she let out a small scream and passed out again, with only a vague comment about a severed head.

After digging himself out of the hole, Sasuke decided to attempt to wake Sakura; he regretted doing so, as she hugged him the moment she was conscious. His usual scowl grew deeper, and she let go of him a moment later.

"There isn't much time left until lunch. I'm going to try again. I already touched one of the bells, and I'm sure I'll get one of them on my next attempt."

"You're still going after a bell? You're incredible Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed. However, Inner Sakura was having much different thoughts, _'This is bad, there's no way I can get a bell, at this rate I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun...'_ "You know, there isn't much time left so there's no need to push ourselves hard. There's always next time..."

As she said this, Sasuke glared at her, its intensity increasing with each word she spoke. Before either of them could say anything however, the alarm sounded off.

A few minutes earlier...

While Kakashi and Sasuke had been fighting and Naruto was hanging upside down, he had spotted a small stone with a flagpole on top of it right behind the training posts. Squinting, he also spotted the bento lunches Kakashi had prepared sitting on the stone. "A ninja must see underneath the underneath huh?" Cutting himself loose once more, and making sure that there wasn't another trap waiting, the orange wearing blonde quickly made it to where the food was, all the while making sure there wasn't any traps around. "Instead of wasting time trying to get a bell, I can just hide and eat all the food now."

"Hey buddy, what do you think you're doing?" Galgomon questioned from behind Naruto, one of his arms poised to use the device that made up his wrist and hand.

"That was a joke..." Naruto gulped, slowly turning around to face the Digimon.

"Riiight..." The disbelief was evident in Galgomon's voice, as the top hole of his gauntlet glowed with energy. "_Gatling Arm_." The shot of energy wasn't all that powerful, but had enough force to knock Naruto out. He dragged Naruto's unconscious body back to the training posts in time for Kakashi to arrive. The digimon explained what happened and Kakashi tied Naruto to the center post, finishing as the alarm went off.

Meanwhile, Iruka was in a lunch meeting with the Hokage, their Digimon partners munching on snacks that one normally didn't see outside of the Digital World.

"So Iruka, what things did you want to ask me?" Hiruzen said in between bites of his ramen.

"The Jounin for Team Seven... What kind of Sensei is he?"

"Kakashi-san?" questioned Wisemon, the Hokages Digimon partner. It was human in its shape, wore primarily a crimson robe; covering his head was a tan colored shawl that extended down to his shoulder blades in the back, with the tips tattered to look like angel wings. Nearby, a giant book written in DigiCode, the Digital Worlds alphabet, was propped up, humming with the same energy as Wisemon himself. The Digimon waved his hand in the books direction, and a smaller book flew from it towards Iruka. "Here is a list of his past students and their records."

Elecmon, wanting to know as well, climbed onto his partner's shoulder. "This is...!"

"Kakashi's test might be a little too difficult..." Hiruzen started.

"Since children are usually disobedient." Wisemon finished.

"Yeah, but... These are all zeroes." Elecmon stated, Iruka still in shock.

"Yup, Kakashi has never passed anyone. They've all failed."

Ten minutes later, back at Training Ground Three, the other two Genin arrived and Naruto had woken up. "You guys look really tired and hungry." Kakashi said, tossing a bento each to Sasuke and Sakura. "Oh and by the way, something about the training. There is no need for you to go back to the Academy."

All three cheered but it was cut short by what Galgomon said next. "Yup, all three of you should quit as ninja." The shock silenced them for a good few minutes.

Naruto was the first to regain his composer. "So we couldn't get the bells, but why do we have to quit being ninja?"

"Because all of you are just little punks who don't deserve to be ninja." At this, Sasuke lunged at Kakashi, who in a flash had Sasuke pinned to the ground, his foot resting on the Uchiha's head. "See, just a little punk."

"Are you guys underestimating what ninja are?" Galgomon stated, his usually care free voice darkening a bit. "Why do you think you were divided into teams and are doing this training? You don't understand the answer to this test."

"So what is the answer?" all three Genin asked.

"Teamwork. The three of you working together may have gotten the bells." Kakashi stated.

"What do you mean by teamwork? There are only two bells!" Sakura pointed out. "Even if we work together and get the bells, one of us would still fail. That means we would be fighting each other!"

"Of course. This test is purposely set up to make you fight amongst yourselves." Galgomon's tone was lighter, but still serious.

"The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own interest and successfully work together under these circumstances. Instead, all three of you decided to branch off on your own." Kakashi continued.

"Sakura, instead of Naruto, who was right next to you, you were only thinking about Sasuke, who was far away." Galgomon pointed out. "Naruto, you were just running around by yourself, you didn't even think about your teammates."

"And Sasuke, you just assumed the other two would get in your way and tried to do everything yourself. The duties are done by the team. Of course superior individual ability is important to a ninja; however, what is even more important is teamwork."

"Individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrades in danger, and even get you killed. For example... Sakura, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!" Galgomon ordered, pointing his gauntlet at her while Kakashi shifted his position from atop Sasuke and put a Kunai to his throat. The shock was clearly evident on all three Genin's face.

"You see? If a hostage is taken, you will have tough choices, and more than likely one of you could die. You will be risking your lives in these duties as ninja." Kakashi stated, getting off of Sasuke before walking to the stone behind the posts. "Look at this. The numerous names carved on this stone, these are ninja who are recognized as heroes of the village."

"Then I'm going to get my name carved onto that stone too!" Naruto exclaimed to no one's surprise.

"These aren't just normal heroes. They are the heroes who died while on duty." Galgomon stated in a solemn voice. "There is a similar one in the Village of Beginnings for the partner Digimon for each person on that memorial, though it's a bit bigger to inform of who their human partner was as well as all of their evolutions upon their final death. Kakashi's best friend's name is on the one in front of you, while his partner and my best friend is on the one in the Village of Beginnings."

"You guys..." Kakashi's voice dragged the three students out of their dark mood. "I'll give you one more chance, after lunch. However, I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch, as long as you don't share with Naruto."

"It's punishment for trying to eat by yourself." Galgomon answered the question Naruto was about to ask. "If anyone gives him any food, they will immediately fail. Don't forget, we make the rules, got it?" After getting a confirmation from all three, the Jounin and his digimon disappeared in a flash.

"Don't worry you guys, I don't need any food. I'm fine!" Naruto told his teammates; his stomach, however, didn't agree with him and let out a large gurgling sound.

A few minutes later, after eating a few bites, Naruto's stomach rumbled again. Sasuke held his bento up to Naruto. "Here, you can have some of mine."

"But Sasuke-kun, Sensei just said..." Sakura started.

"Don't worry, I don't sense him nearby. After lunch, we'll work together and get the bells. Without food, Naruto will just be in the way and that will only hurt us." Realization dawned upon Sakura, who also offered some of her own lunch.

Naruto looked at both of his teammates and smiled. "Thank you, both of you."

Before anyone could do anything else, however, a huge cloud of smoke appeared in front of them. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Galgomon shouted from within.

The smoke cleared a little, and Kakashi's head appeared several times its normal size in front of them, thanks to what Academy students called the 'Big Head Jutsu'. "YOU THREE..." Kakashi started before the rest of the smoke cleared up. With all three cowering in fear from the memories of Iruka using the same Genjutsu trick many times, he released the technique. "Pass."

"... HUH?" all three Genin were in shock.

"You guys are the first ones we've passed as well." Galgomon stated, eating what looked like an apple with an oranges interior. "Everyone else would've just done whatever we told them, like complete morons."

"A ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash. But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash." Kakashi stated as he untied Naruto from the post. "That ends the training. All of you pass."

"And quite a marvelous show, I might add." A voice said behind the Genin. When they turned to look, they saw nothing at first. However a small distortion appeared behind the Memorial Stone and a man with short brown hair and violet colored eyes walked out of it. He turned towards the three Genin to address them. "If you would follow me, I will take you to get your Digimon Partners."

"And you are you?" Naruto asked loudly, before Kakashi smacked the back of his head.

"Show some respect, Naruto. He's your elder, as well as someone you don't know very well. Unless it's an enemy ninja, show those who meet either of those conditions with respect. Especially this one."

"That may be true, Kakashi-Sensei, but I'd like to know as well." Sakura stated.

"I am King Yggdrasill, Ruler and God of the Digital World." the man stated like he was commenting on the weather. "You can call me King Drasil for short. This form you see me in is one I assume when dealing with humans, as my true form is something only Digimon can look upon without their brains turning to dust. Now then, any more questions can be answered at a later time. All other teams have finished their tests, and the two others that have passed are waiting for the final squad to appear. The Digitama are not received until all teams are finished testing, as to make it equal among the graduates of each year."

He took a step back and disappeared back into the distortion from where he appeared. The Genin looked to their Sensei for guidance. "Every Training Ground has a portal to the Digital World located somewhere within it. It's normally blocked unless it's willed open, this way wild Digimon won't cross the boundary. On Team Testing Day, the portal shifts so it leads directly to the Village of Beginnings. Now go, unless you don't want a Digimon Partner."

All three Genin had no idea what to expect on the other side of the Digital Gate, nor what it would be like to walk through it. However, when they did step through it, a small feeling of vertigo overtook them, and the scenery immediately changed around them. No longer were they in the open clearing surrounded by trees and a small river flowing nearby; instead, they were in a larger clearing, with a fire blazing in the center. Sitting on benches near the fire were teams Eight and Ten, with their Jounin Sensei standing behind them. Upon examining the area, no one could see King Drasil.

A few minutes after Team Seven sat down, the fire blazed higher and hotter than it was prior. Three lights shot out from the top and took the form of Digimon. The first was easily the largest, being several stories taller than the Hokage Tower; it was in the shape of a bird with eight wings, with four piercing red eyes and had six spheres rotating around its neck, with another six spinning around its tail. The second largest was only as tall as the Hokage Tower, but still looked intimidating; it looked like a combination of a dragon and a dinosaur, with red armor that had golden-yellow trim coating most of its body, and the wings protruding from its back looked to be made of flames. The final member of the trio was around nine feet tall, dwarfed by the other to Digimon. This one was obviously female, indicated by the D-Cup breasts; she had a black bodysuit on, with her upper body covered by yellow armor; her gloves and boots were purple in color, the mask she wore was in the shape of a foxes head, and she carried a staff similar to that of Shinto priests.

"Greetings new ninja of Konoha." The female Digimon spoke. "I am Sakuyamon, guardian deity Digimon of your village. The other two digimon are Zhuqiaomon, Lord of Incandescent Flames, and AncientGreymon, Master Warrior of Flame, both of whom are the protectors of the Land of Fire and its Digital World equivalents. Your Jounin-Sensei have decided that you are worthy enough to become ninja, and thus King Drasil has found you worthy enough to grant you a Digimon partner." With this, several more beams of light shot out, this time at the nine rookie ninja.

"Let us hope that this decision was not a bad one." The giant bird, Zhuqiaomon, simply stated.

"May you protect them as much as they protect you." AncientGreymon added in. Once more the three Digimon turned into energy, and the beams shot off in different directions.

The energy that approached the Rookie Nine took the shape of an egg before turning solid in their hands. Along with the eggs, the energy had created a small, square device that was bluish-white in color.

Naruto's egg looked like it had been painted a bluish-purple color, with the lower part being a soft egg-white color. Sasuke's was orange, and had blue stripes going across its surface. Sakura's was simple, only a light shade of blue, perhaps baby blue or powder and no other color.

Shino's egg was a simple white, and had purple hearts covering its surface. Kiba's egg was light blue in color, with dark blue triangles making up a pattern on it. Hinata's egg was a light shade of pink, with magenta colored rings placed randomly on its surface.

Ino's egg was white, and had large, red spots on it in random places. Shikamaru's egg was metallic silver with red and yellow starburst patterns dotted around it. Chouji's egg alternated between light tan and dark yellow stripes, with small black lines forming a grid.

However, after only a few moments, the eggs had glowed with the same energy as before. Once the glow faded, a large cracking sound filled the air as the eggs hatched. Each Digimon that appeared was about the size of two adult human hands and none had anything resembling arms or legs, making them look like tiny heads.

Sitting in Naruto's palms was a Digimon with bluish-purple fur, with white fur surrounding its mouth; orange eyes looked up at the blond in an intimidating fashion, as it snapped its mouth at him several times. Sasuke was now holding a black, squishy blob with yellow eyes staring at him expectantly. Sakura had a light blue Digimon that had a long extension coming from the top of its head; its black eyes darted everywhere, curious to take in everything around it.

Shino was holding a small green Digimon that looked like it had a pacifier in its mouth; its tail ended in a leaf shape, which it hung above the rest of its body as a make-shift umbrella, its black eyes staring directly into his own, despite the sunglasses blocking the view. Kiba was holding a red blob that had three horn-like protrusions on top of it; its wide eyes were similar to a human, with a white sclera and black iris', and it was shifting its gaze between Kiba and Akamaru. Hinata's Digimon was similar to Sasuke's in shape, however it was white instead of black; it's black eyes gazed at her in a way that made her fell all warm and fuzzy inside, despite the Digimon feeling cold to the touch.

Ino was silently cheering, as she had the exact same Digimon as Sasuke: a black, squishy blob with yellow eyes, only her Digimon was looking around the same way Sakura's was. Shikamaru was looking at a metallic digimon in the shape of a mouse; its red eyes analyzed him as well, with a spark periodically shooting from the tip of its tail. Chouji's Digimon looked like a crème-colored beet, and was nibbling on the human's fingers like it was hungry.

"Congratulations on officially becoming Ninja of Konohagakure." The three Jounin stated, which was echoed by their own Digimon partners.

"Starting in a week, you will be taking on the responsibilities of Genin ranked Ninja." Kakashi informed all nine rookies.

"Why a week?" Ino asked, with several others nodding their heads in agreement.

"It's to give you time to get to know you Digimon." Kurenai answered.

"It's also so they can reach their Child Level, which is required for mission assignments." added Asuma as he stuck another cigarette in his mouth.

"See you then. Meet up at the same training grounds as today." the Jounin said after leading their students back through the portal to the Human World.

* * *

Chapter 2 End.

Ninja/Digimon Partner to highest achieved evolution shown

Naruto - Dodomon

Sasuke - Botamon

Sakura - Chicomon

Kakashi - Jellymon/Gummimon/Terriermon/Galgomon

Shino - Leafmon

Kiba - Punimon

Hinata - Yukimi Botamon

Kurenai - Yukimi Botamon/Nyaromon/Plotmon (Salamon)/Witchmon

Ino - Botamon

Shikamaru - Choromon (MetalKoromon)

Chouji - Tsubumon

Asuma - Bombmon/Missimon/Commandramon/Sealsdramon

Iruka - Punimon/Tsunomon/Elecmon/Leppamon/Qilinmon

Hiruzen (3rd Hokage) - Botamon/Koromon/Agumon Hakase/Wizarmon/Wisemon

NOTE: This list will be going up on my profile. I will be updating it as each new form is revealed.

* * *

_**Digital Analyzer Time!**_

For this chapter, we have...

_**Galgomon **(Gargomon). Adult Level. Attribute: Vaccine_

_A Beast Man Digimon that evolves from Terriermon, this Hunter Digimon excels in hunting. Contrary to its physical appearance, its quick movements and unmatched precision attacks are sure to bring down its opponents. It jumps high into the sky with its strong legs and can then glide by expanding its ears. It usually has a merry disposition, but it becomes uncontrollable once it gets angry. Its favourite "D-VI'S503xx" jeans is an attentive item. Its special attacks are "Gatling Arm", fired from the vulcans on its arms, and "Dum Dum Upper", in which it jumps onto the enemy's chest and performs an uppercut by firing its Gatling Arm on it._

_Attacks:_

_**Gargo Pellets/Gargo Laser** (Gatling Arm): Fires the vulcans on both of its arms._

_**Bunny Pummel/Animal Uppercut** (Dumdum Upper): Gets into the opponent's space, then thrusts up a "Gargo Pellets" from below_

* * *

Now then to answer some of the reviews.

First off, unknown1124 brought up Bio-Merging, or Matrix Evolution as it is called in the original Japanese version. Originally, I was against it; however, after thinking about it for a while, my brain (or whatever resides within my skull) produced some rather interesting ideas concerning Bio-Merging (one of the few terms that I prefer to use the English term for, as well as Mega for the Japanese Ultimate). I'm still in the process of figuring it out, though, so it's going to take some time before deciding if I will.

Ghingahn brought up several things that I would like to share.

Ghingahn: _I like the story so far, but it seems to me like the presence of digimon doesn't change as much as it should. For instance, Kurenai's and the ANBU squad's partners were never mentioned._

A. Just cause someone was there doesn't mean their digimon partner has to be. The digimon can wander off and do something else, so long as they stay within a certain distance of their human partner. There will be an example of this in the upcoming chapter. B. the ANBU squad not having their digimon with them was just a slight slip up on my part. I ended up finishing the chapter and posting it at about 2 in the morning, and I was really tired then from a long day of work.

_If the Sandaime has a digimon partner, then I doubt Naruto could have managed to get the scroll._

Not sure if I covered this in the first chapter but: A ninja is paired with a digimon that share traits similar to them and reflect what the desire of what they want to be. In other words, the digimon is somewhat like a copy of the ninja, including certain traits (perverseness included).

_Also, if every ninja has a partner, then the ANBU wearing masks would be rather pointless_.

While most of the characters from Naruto that have actual plot relevance will have mostly different digimon (some will be the same as others, or a sub-species of a digimon), others, like a majority of ANBU, will have digimon so similar to each other, it will be hard for other people to figure out who is who.

_And everyone would have probably recognized Tobi right away (unless his digimon died...?), not to mention all the history that would have been changed by digimon's existence._

The Tobi/Digimon thing will somewhat covered in this chapter with a situation that is similar. As for the history part, like I stated at the end of the last chapter, I've got something in the planning stages for that.

_I mean, I really do like the story, and I know it's only the first chapter, but I still thought I should point that out._

Feedback helps Authors learn from their mistakes and improve for the next thing they work on.

Next, we have Grey Master of Ice and Muji.

Grey: _I noticed the similarities from the summary... This is pretty good, and while I agree that some parts are nearly identical it is still a pretty good first chapter._

Like I stated, I'm using Power of Partnership as a base skeleton for some parts.

_To continue I am so glad that there is finally another good Digimon/Naruto X-Over! _

Thank you. One of the main reason's I'm writing this is because there aren't very many of them that are good. No offense to anyone who has written a Naruto/Digimon Crossover before me.

_Your story seems to have a general direction of where it is going, good grammar, and is not a waste dump of clichés. You're taking your time introducing everything and your chapter was of decent length which is good._

Plotting things out ahead of time helps with direction, though sometimes it may veer off course. Grammar is something I'm very quirky about; if a stories grammar is so bad that I can't understand what is going on, I tend to avoid it like the plague. I'm also trying to be original with my story, and like I stated at the end of the last chapter, I'm trying to avoid clichés. Taking time for something is also a good way to make sure the readers know what is going on. Also, don't expect every chapter to be as long as these; I work with my hands, so I need the ability to use my fingers as well._  
_  
_I understand what you're saying about the dubs as I have personally watched both, and understand your annoyance at some of the things in the dub..._

I've actually been doing a marathon of Digimon for the past few weeks, with it being in the original Japanese audio (subbed of course). That's one of the main reasons why it took me a bit of time to get this chapter done and posted.

Well, that's it for now.

Until Next Time...  
DCM


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